Track: El Ten Eleven share the grand alien (post-)funk of ‘New Year’s Eve’ and detail a massive tour

WITH our ears still ringing and our souls still swooning while getting our heads round last year’s conceptual triple album, Tautology, (No! come back this instant! For it (post) rocks so hard and so delicately, by turns – hey, read our review and have a listen if you don’t believe us) El Ten Eleven, the Southern California duo of Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty, are raring to go once again; they’ve announced a massive tour both Stateside and over this side of the Atlantic, and have dropped a first single from their next album. The song, ready in plenty of time for the date when it oughta ring out from your speakers: “New Year’s Eve”. And we have it below.

Bassist Kristian and drummer Tim are known in leftfield rock circles for moving and creating outside the norms and frankly also what should be possible for a two-piece – Tautology worked in territory bordered on the one hand by say, Killing Joke and Red Sparowes, and the other by Stars of the Lid and Robin Guthrie; but it’s still delightfully devil-may-care when you burrow into “New Year’s Eve” and find a track that marries an alien drone chatter and crackle of a main melody wash to a bassline that’s outright funky – worthy of John Taylor or Mick Karn.

But then if, like me you’ve come across Kristian’s YouTube video of him knocking out the entirety of Rio with calm and precision, you’ll know he absolutely has this. He owns bassline, as a concept.

“‘New Year’s Eve’ is a song about cautious optimism,” the pair say.

Further details about the next album will be shared once the calendar tears off to reveal 2022, Citizen Kane-style: “It was written while the pandemic seemed to have a chance of ending and there was lots of political change in the air,” they reveal.

“But even the most well-laid plans for New Year’s Eve celebrations often end up being disappointing; thus, the metaphor.”

El Ten Eleven are back on the road pretty much as soon as you sweep your new year’s empties into the recycling, with their US and European tour dates being as follows; by the time it comes around it’ll be their first in three years, so no wonder they’re up and at it with 31 US dates followed by a dozen in the UK and Europe.

Friday, January 7th, Los Angeles, The Roxy;
Saturday, January 8th, San Francisco, The Independent;
Thursday, January 13th, San Diego, Casbah;
Friday, January 14th, Phoenix, Crescent Ballroom;
Saturday, January 15th, Tucson, 191 Toole;
Sunday, January 16th, El Paso, Lowbrow Palace;
Thursday, January 20th, Dallas, Club Dada;
Friday, January 21st, Austin, The Parish;
Saturday, January 22nd, Houston, White Oak;
Sunday, January 23rd, New Orleans, Gasa Gasa;
Wednesday, January 26th, Nashville, Exit / In;
Thursday, January 27th, Carrboro, Cat’s Cradle;
Friday, January 28th, Asheville, The Grey Eagle;
Saturday, January 29th, Atlanta, Terminal West;
Tuesday, February 1st, Kansas City, Record Bar;
Thursday, February 3rd, Colorado Springs, Black Sheep;
Friday, February 4th, Crested Butte, Public House;
Saturday, February 5th, Durango, Animas;
Wednesday, April 6th, Omaha, Slowdown;
Thursday, April 7th, St. Paul, Turf Club;
Friday, April 8th, Chicago, Chop Shop;
Saturday, April 9th, Grand Rapids, Pyramid Scheme;
Sunday, April 10th, Indianapolis, HiFi;
Wednesday, April 13th, Cleveland, Beachland Ballroom;
Thursday, April 14th, Pittsburgh, Thunderbird;
Friday, April 15th, Washington DC, Union Stage;
Saturday, April 16th, Philadelphia, Milkboy;
Wednesday and Thursday, April 20th and 21st, Rochester, Bugjar;
Friday, April 22nd, Boston, Paradise, and
Saturday, April 23rd, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Made.

And they’re not done yet, because here’s the European leg:
Thursday, May 12th, Glasgow, Broadcast;
Friday, May 13th, Leeds, Boom;
Saturday, May 14th, London, Portals Festival at The Dome, Tufnell Park;
Sunday, May 15th, Bristol, The Crofters Rights;
Tuesday, May 17th, Paris, Supersonic;
Wednesday, May 18th, Den Bosch, Netherlands, Willem Twee Poppodium;
Thursday and Friday, May 19th and 20th, Copenhagen, A Colossal Weekend festival;
Sunday, May 22nd, Berlin, Prachtwerk;
Monday, May 23rd, Hamburg, Indra;
Tuesday, May 24th, Cologne, Helios37, and
Friday, May 27th, Metz, Young Team Festival.